Windshield wiper blade



May 25, T954 NEssoN wINDsHIELD WIBER BLADE Film nay-1s, 1949 Iazveof.- brim Newsom,

- doiozegs,

Patented May 25, 1954 WINDSHIELD WIPER BLADE Israel Nesson, Lynn,

Max Zaiger,

Mass., assignor to Swampscott, Mass.

Application May 13, 1949, Serial No. 93,009

2 Claims.

This invention relates to windshield wiper blades, and pertains more particularly to improvements in blades or wipers having a flexible rubber wiping strip held in a metal holder equipped with a connector or clip by which the blade is separably attached to the end of an oscillating wiper arm.

Heretofore, the' eXible rubber strips of windshield wiper blades have been rigidly clamped along their upper margin or rib within a metal shell or holder having daring sides, and the clip or connector has been pivotally mounted on the back of the holder to permit adequate rocking action of the blade with respect to the wiper arm, when the blade reaches the end of its oscillating movement and then tips or tilts angularly with respect to the windshield for the reverse movement. The blade holder, as well as the y tightly gripped wiper element, thus tilts over at each rocking movement; the pivoted clips or connectors are noisy in operation; and the hinged connection between the blade holder and connector is subject to binding because of rust, wear, or dirt.

It is accordingly the principal purpose of the present invention to provide a wiper blade in which the upper margin or rib of the eXible rubber wiper is loosely supported in the metal shell or holder and is hence free to move transversely of the holder, in a direction toward and from the windshield, during operation. This arrangement not only increases the effective flexibility of the wiper strip and permits the use of a clip or connector which is rigidly attached to the back of the metal holder without diminishing the `desired rocking or tilting action of the wiper strip during oscillation, but also permits the holder or shell to move in a plane substantially parallel to the surface of the windshield.

As is well understood, when the wiper blade reaches one end of its oscillating movement and the iiexible strip rocks or tilts from one angular position to the other, the wiper strip assumes a position substantially at right angles to the windshield at each reversal of its movement. When the rubber strip is rigidly clamped in the metal shell or holder, the holder and the attached end of the wiper arm are thus moved away from the windshield at each end of the stroke, and the holder does not travel in a plane parallel to the windshield surface. Inasmuch as the wiper a-rm is spring tensioned to press the blade against the windshield, more operating power is required when the blade holder must move toward and from the windshield during operation of the prior devices. y Y

Additional features and advantages of the improved wiper blade will be apparent from the following description of the recommended kembodiment of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings, and will be pointed out in the -app'ended claims. .It will be understood, how- Fig. 1.

2 ever, that the structural details of the devices herein shown and described may be varied to suit particular conditions without departing from the essence of the invention as defined in said claims. In the drawings,

Fig. l is a side elevation, partly broken away, of a windshield wiper blade constructed in accordance with this invention, a retaining tab at one end of the holder being shown in open position to indicate how the rubber wiper strip may be inserted in the holder;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged transverse section through the wiper blade showing the position of its elements at the time the wiper strip is at right angles to the windshield, at the reversing position of its oscillating stroke; and

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the relative position of the blade holder, the wiping strip and the windshield, at a point intermediate the ends of the wiping stroke.

In the form chosen for the purpose of illustration, the improved wiper blade comprises a rigid holder or shell H, preferably stamped or shaped from sheet metal to provide a at top l2, parallel depending sides I3 and inturned longitudinal bottom flanges I4, forming a longitudinal chamber or channel approximately rectangular in cross section; a flexible wiper strip l5, of rubber or other suitably resilient material, having a longitudinal marginal portion or bead I6 receivable endwise within the chamber of the holder, and connected to the head l5 of the wiper strip by a narrow, longitudinal neck l? received in the slotY i8 between the spaced, opposed edges of the a-nges l of the holder Il; and a clip or connector l mounted on the back of the holder Il.

The holder back I2 has end tabs 20 normally bent downwardly to provide stops for preventing or limiting endwise movement of the wiper strip with respect to the holder, after the strip bead i6 has been telescopically inserted in the holder chamber or channel while one of the tabs 2li is in open position, as indicated at the left of It will be understood that said tab will be closed by bending it downwardly (to the posiright of Fig. l) to retain the rubber strip in the holder of the completed blade.

The wiper bead l@ is substantially rectangular in cross section. The width of the bead is preferably slightly less than the width of the holder channel, and the thickness of the bead is substantially less than the depth of the channel, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, so that the rubretained in the holder and is movable transversely, in the direction of the windshield and also as angularly, with respect to the holder during oscillating operation. The thickness of the neck l1 of the wiper strip is lappreciably less than the slot i8 between the opposed inturned bottom anges I4 ofthe holder, and the depth of the neck portion is suicient aevaoee 3 to permit the bead i6 to move transversely as well as angularly within the holder channel.

The head of the wiper strip is provided with longitudinal shoulders or flanges 2i, inclining outwardly from the bottom of the neck portion il and disposed to engage the respective bottom nanges oi the holder` and provide a cushion seat limiting angular movement o the strip il with respect to the holder il during oscillation of the blade on the windshield 22; edgecf the wiper strip provides a relatively thin longitudinal nn 23 which wipes across the sur face cf the windshield 22.

When the wiper blade is in normal operating position, as shown in Fig. 3, the flexible wiping head i5 is inclined with respect to the windshield, and the bead E5 assumes a transversely inclined position within the channel oi the holder i i, one oi the wiper shoulders 2i engaging one of the bottoni iianges itl of the holder. ln such position, the inward pressure or the wiper arm is transmitted directly from the holder ange le to the wiper shoulder iii. rThe bead i6 is thus free from operating pressure, and the resistance or drag oi the wiper bead nn 23 on tends to pull the bead toward the bottom or the holder channel, as the neck portion il is twisted and stretched on one side by the combined effect oi the arm pressure andv windshield drag.

When the blade reaches the end of its and rocks over for the reverse stroke, the wiper strip temporarily assumes a position at right angles to the windshield, as shown in Fig. 2, and the bead it' is then moved upwardly in the channel to engage the bach' i2 of the holder. to the freedom of transverse movement of the bead it in the holder channel, the effective nexibility of the wiper strip is enhanced and the holder moves in a plane substantially parallel to the surface of the windshield and is not forced appreciably away from the windshield at the end or the stroke when the wiper reverses its roc ing tilt.

lt will be observed, moreover, that the improved holder il aiords adequate lateral rigidity of the wiper strip' l5, without tightly clamping the strip in its channel, and that the inwardly bent bottoin flanges ifi bring the longitudinal edges of the holder into spaced opposition and thus avoid the sharp outwardly projecting edges which are characteristic of conventional blade holders and which tend to scratch the windshield when the blade is tilted.

It will also be understood, as aforesaid, that the clip or connector in inay to the back. i2 ci the blade holder. The inode of attachment of the clip, as well as the construe tion thereof, is, however, immaterial to the present invention.

A wiper blade constructed as herein described is simple and economical to manufacture and assemble, durable and eihcient in use, and provides a wiper strip which is inherently ilegible and also movable transversely of its holder, in the direction of the windshield to which the blade is operatively applied. The extent to 'which the wiper strip neXes or tilts with respect to the holder is influenced not 'only by the inherent flexibility oi the narrow neck il, but also by the freedom of transverse and angular movement of the bead l within the holder channel. rThis movement is limited and controlled by the cushion shoulders 2l which alternately engage the respective holder flanges during oscillation of the blade by the wiper arin. Between the end limits The bottom 1 the windshield stroke Owing be rigidly attached and a flexible wiper of oscillating movement, thepressure of the wiper arm is transmitted to tilted' wiping edge 23 of the blade through one of the holder flanges lll and one oi the cushion shoulders 2l, as aforesaid. The bead it receives and transmits pressure only when the blade is at the point of reversing its movement, as shown in Fig. 2.

i claim:

1. A Wiper blade comprising a holder having a substantially nat back portion connectable to a wiper arm, depending side portions, and inwardly directed bottom flanges disposed in spaced parailel relation to said back portion, providing an interior, longitudinal channel, the opposed edges of said iianges being disposed in spaced parallel relation and forming a longitudinal bottom slot, the bottom faces of said flanges being substantially nat and in the same plane, a ilegible wiper strip having a transversely flanged longitudinal bead, a transversely flanged longitudinal head, and a relatively thin connecting neck between the bead and head, the bead and neck being loosely receivable in said channel and slot respectively when the wiper strip is slid endwisc into the holder, the thickness oi said bead being substantially less than the depth of said channel whereby the bead is transversely movable in said channel toward and from said slot during opera tion of the blade, said hanged head having laterally projecting shoulders formed with nat surfaces` respectively engageable with the flat bottoni face of one of said nanges to'liinit lateral 4flexing ci the wiper head with respect toV thev holder, and means restraining longitudinal movement of said strip in said holder channel.

A wiper blade comprising a holder having a substantially ila-t baci; portion, substantially parallel sides and inwardly directed bottom rianges disposed in spaced parallel relation to said back portion, providing an interior channel substantially rectangular in cross-section, the opposed edges of said flanges being disposed in spaced parallel relation, said flanges having flat bottom suriac'es disposed substantially in the samey plane, strip having a transverse bead receivable endwise in said channel and loosely retained therein, the' thiciness of the bead bei-ng substantially less than the depth of the channel, whereby the bead may move transversely and angularl'y therein, said strip having a relatively narrow necl'portion'received in the space between said iianges and'inovabley transversely of the holder in sai-d space, and having a longitudinal head provided with laterally projecting shoulders having inclined, fiat surfaces respectively engageable with the flat bottoni surfaces of one oi said flanges to limit lateral flexing or' said strip with respect to said holder, and means .for restraining longitudinal movement of said strip in said holder channel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

